2015 BMW M3 squares off against Alpina D3 in gas vs. diesel throwdown

There was a time when diesel meant one of two things: This vehicle's owner either wants to save some money at the pump or needs to haul massive loads. It definitely did not mean that the owner of said machine wanted to drive fast, but that perception has slowly but surely been changing over the last several years, with automakers from Volkswagen and Ford to Audi and BMW offering spiced-up versions of their high-compression, turbocharged diesels.

It's that last automaker we mentioned that's the subject of the video you'll see down below. One bright-blue BMW M3 was procured by the Brits at Autocar, and it was lined up against a deep-black Alpina D3 (which we sadly can't buy in the US) in a spate of tests, including acceleration, stopping, sound and lap times on a closed circuit. The results, which we won't spoil for you, were enlightening, and were followed up by personal impressions from the man behind the wheel.

We know you're curious. All it takes to find out which of these 3.0-liter, twin-turbo-powered 3 Series variants came out on top is to scroll down below and watch. You know what to do.

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Awesome. This is a complete reversal of the 335i vs 335d comparisons we used to see (petrol on top). Now performance diesel has completely come into its own and the D3 comes in level with the M3. Alpina D3. The Ultimate Driving Machine.

That's not what I got from this. The M3 seems plenty sharp. Its problem, if you want to go so far as to call it that, is that it may be too much so for casual enthusiasts. If you don't occasionally go to the track, you're apt to bemoan some of the compromises that arise from its commitment to the sporting end of the spectrum. Conversely, the D3 is a sublime docile daily driver with enough performance on hand to satisfy all but the most discerning enthusiasts. Alpina has played this contrast for a while now, and I'm glad to see that it's still obtainable despite BMW's venture into forced induction taking a past element of distinction away from them.

Okay, the D3 obviously looks like a great car, but it's apparent the reviewer had his mind made up before the test even began. The M3 has a considerably more focused and sport-oriented mission statement. The things that make it such can't be held against it. Also, there's no way the 2 are as close in performance as they made it seem. They were either sand bagging the M3, or not driving it in its proper settings.

If we taxed displacement, power @ registration, and more importantly fuel & lubricants @ the register the way the EU does, we'd see far more consumers yelling for excellent diesels in reasonably-sized packages like the D3. Fuel is so cheap, some idiots still see fit to spew un-burnt fuel out their tailpipes (rolling coal) as entertainment & pseudo-penile extensions, and consider 5000+ lb. trucks as reasonable commuter vehicles to office jobs. What about treating transportation fuel as a precious commodity we're willing to start wars over?